Generations: Controller v2

Earlier this month I set out to redraw my Controller Generations illustration from a few years back. It was a collection of the best video game controllers and hand-held consoles across generations. I even “snuck” a NEO-GEO controller in there. Also, snuck is a relative term.

The Greatest Controller of All-Time

For V2, I wanted to only focus on controllers. That means no hand-held consoles or systems this time. First thing I did was do research aka search Google. To get the best results in a project like this you have to find really large images. As close to 1920×1080 (HD quality) as possible. At HD, you can see all the fine details of the subject and really get granular.

There are some great controller compilation images which show how diverse of the design of controllers over the years. The problem is each controller in those images are so small and don’t show the detail I need to complete this illustration.

By the Numbers

To create the final layout would be for the controllers, I designed them in a way that I could use them later. Each one needed to be illustrated on its own then added after the fact to the final layout. This took longer than expected and I had to search for each controller individually… which added time to the overall piece. In the end I drew 21 controllers and using reference of the controllers at different angles. This would offer me more flexibility when creating the final layout.

To make sure all these pieces look like they are apart of the same illustration I created a 10 – 5 – 3 stroke weight system. All outside lines would be a 10pt stroke while detail or inner items would have a 5 or 3 pt stroke applied. Varying the line weight would add dimension to the stack of controllers.

The Home stretch

At this stage of the illustration it was just a giant wireframe. All the artwork overlapped each other and looked like a ball of wires. I fixed this by filling in the controllers with white to allow each one to stand on their own.

The final stage of this illustration was completed by using my coloring technique which I outline in this vectorial. I don’t feel like this piece is complete but it was well received by people who have seen it. I uploaded it to my TeePublic page for those who enjoy it. Eventually, I’ll return to this and add some additional lighting.